Stealthy Class 1 for gravel/dirt rail trails and more

[bob armani]

In my limited experience, the Brose is noticeably quieter than Yamaha or Bosch. The Brose uses a belt to transmit power from motor rather than gears. Apparently that's the biggest factor in noise reduction.

Don't kid yourself about sneaking past the pedal police. They'll spot your e-bike if you wrap it in camo netting.

Sure they may spot it, however, they are really not too concerned about it as long as you are riding responsibly and not exceeding the speed limits too high for conditions. Actually, (in my experience) they are more curious than out to give you a hard time. Of coarse, always depends where you ride too.

 

[Telkwa]

I'd suggest making some inquiries about the actual legal status of the trails in question. Contact the agencies in charge. Make sure to let them know right up front that you have Class 1 bikes, NOT Class 2 or 3. If they say you're good to go, super.

This fall we talked with a guy who's actively involved with the Banks-Vernonia Trail in Oregon. Oregon State is in the process of re-evaluating e-bikes on State property. He's been told that while e-bikes aren't officially legal, they're not gonna hassle anyone. You may find the same situation.

If some trails are specifically not allowing e-bikes, then stay off them. You only make things worse by reinforcing what people are already saying about e-bikers.

 

[JRA]

Telkwa, the Class laws are not on the books in OR. Legal limits are 1000w/20mph.

I have ridden the BV trail as well as the CZ trail on my 1000w bikes as well as my 750w bike that have throttles. I primarily use the throttle function for starting off and actively pedal in the proper gear ratio 99% of the time. My bikes are kit based and not stealthy at all as I am not trying to hide the fact they are assist from anyone. Instead I use proper trail etiquette gained by years of experience riding bikes in general.

My point being that you saying to let authorities know up front that you are on a class 1 bike in OR has no meaning and as someone that has years of eBike experience in the OR I hope it never does. I do not advocate for poaching posted systems however, there are plenty of places to ride.

 

[Marci jo]

To follow up, we chose the Trek Dual Sport on the grounds of specs matching recommendations forum members helpfully offered, turnkey readiness without requiring adaptations, friends’ good experiences with Trek bikes, and availability of dealers (and therefore service) near us. In exchange we compromised on stealthiness vs the Orbea, Jetson, and DIY kit ideas, but believe the Dual Sport will be good enough on that score to avoid most attention. Thank you all again for great advice and pointing me at some really interesting bikes I would never have found otherwise.

Congrats on your new ebikes! I think you will love em. I noticed Trek has redesigned the Dual Sport Plus for 2019. The big difference being merging the battery with the down tube. No longer does the bike have the brick-on-the-downtube look. I have my eye on this 2019 model as a second ebike (or perhaps the rare occasion when hubby rides). Looking forward to your comments and maybe a great photo. Marci Jo